Hunt continues for culprits behind anti-Semitic attacks
There were at least four anti-Semitic attacks in Melbourne at the weekend, including the alleged firebombing of a synagogue on Friday night.
Angelo Loras, a 34-year-old man from Sydney's west, faced court on Sunday, accused of setting the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation's front doors alight while 20 people were inside.
Israeli restaurant Miznon was targeted by masked pro-Palestinian protesters not long after the alleged arson, with a window smashed, tables flipped and chairs thrown as the group chanted "death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)".
Three cars were set alight and a wall spray-painted with anti-Semitic "inferences" at a Greensborough business in the city's northeast in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Police said overnight they were releasing CCTV of five people they want to speak to in relation to the incident, with detectives saying the group's members - who all wore black hooded jumpers, backpacks and gloves - left the business via a back fence and fled on e-bikes.
A link has not been found between the attacks, nor a fourth incident in which stencils were used to spray paint offensive images on pillars and walls near a holocaust museum in Elsternwick.
A 28-year-old from Footscray remains the only other arrest for allegedly hindering police at Miznon but was released.
Police are still working on identifying other protesters involved.
The incidents have thrown down the gauntlet to the federal and Victorian governments, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding action against the "rioters".
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus visited the East Melbourne synagogue on Sunday and described the alleged firebombing as an "attack on Australia".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said those responsible for the "shocking acts" must face the full force of the law, as police continue to investigate whether it constitutes terrorism.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, who condemned the attack as an "act of hate", is expected to attend the site on Monday.
She promised state bans on protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings after a blaze destroyed two buildings at the Adass Israel Synagogue in the city's south in December.
The legislation is yet to be introduced to parliament, although the state has previously strengthened anti-vilification laws and banned the public display of the Nazi salute and symbols.
Federal opposition frontbencher Melissa McIntosh has called for the prime minister to convene an urgent meeting of national cabinet to deal with the issue.
But Victoria's opposition police spokesman David Southwick, who is Jewish, said there was no need for another "talkfest".
"The time for talk is over. We need action," the Caulfield MP said.
Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who presented a documentary on anti-Semitism in Australia following Hamas' October 7 terror attacks, called the wave of Melbourne incidents a "hate crime".
"Violent anti-Semitism is a threat to us all and until it's called out for what it really is, it will continue," he wrote on social media.
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